On the grand arena of the "Meaty Tribe" Hilichurl camp.
"Bang!"
The heads of two massive Hilichurls collided, their hands locked together, while an invisible shockwave swept the dust from beneath their feet.
The intense collision caused a slight tremor in the arena.
"Ya!"
"Ya!!"
"Ya!!!"
The circle of Hilichurls surrounding the arena cheered with growing fervor at the fierce clash between the two brutes in the center.
Their cheers rose in waves, unceasing.
A raven, as dark as the night, perched on a branch of a tree outside, observing the commotion in the arena.
The raven's eyes transmitted the scene it observed to Her Highness the Prinzessin der Verurteilung behind the scenes.
In a distant meadow.
The grass, about ten centimeters high, brushed the calves of the two figures.
"What's the situation over there?"
Nolan asked the blonde girl, whose arms crossed and eyes closed, and was observing through her familiar, Oz.
Fischl furrowed her delicate brows, opened her right eye—uncovered by her black eyepatch—to reveal an emerald-like pupil, and said: "Those Hilichurls are fighting. It feels... hmm, it feels like they are even stronger than you, my foolish attendant."
"The elemental monument in the center of the arena is of the Ice element. Your technique from last night won't work."
Nolan was a bit surprised by Fischl's words. If the elemental monument was of Water or Wind, he could activate it from a distance.
But it was the ice element.
This meant they would have to get closer and use the Ice Mist Flower stored in Fischl's Vision to touch it directly.
This Ice Mist Flower had been used before by them in the cave to gather water elemental ores.
What was slightly vexing was that these Hilichurls were brawling in groups around the arena. Even if he could sneak in and activate the monument, escaping might be problematic.
According to Fishel's words, the aura of their fight was even stronger than Nolan's.
It was better for him not to go over and join in the fun.
"Those Hilichurls will surely rest at noon, right? We should be able to sneak in then," Nolan pondered for a moment and said.
"The Prinzessin believes that even if they rest, they won't all leave the arena. We might have to wait until nightfall, when they're asleep, to have a chance," Fischl judged, drawing on her extensive investigative experience.
"Ugh, if that's the case, it's a bit of a hassle. We can't afford to waste an entire day," Nolan said, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Hmph, foolish attendant, aren't your arrows capable of traversing space, making it impossible for monsters to trace the source?
"You can attack them from afar and maybe lure them out. Then I'll have Oz use the Ice Mist Flower to activate the elemental monument," Fischl suggested, her pale hand resting on her waist, fingers grazing her soft abdomen.
"Hmm... that might work. We don't have any better options anyway."
After thinking for a while, Nolan found this idea not bad. Even if it didn't work, he could still gain some Adventure EXP.
Having made a decision, the two approached the hillside near the "Meaty Tribe" grand arena and hid in the small forest there.
Unlike the "Black Sun Tribe," the "Meaty Tribe" didn't seem to have powerful Abyss Mages guarding it.
Therefore, Nolan could find a closer spot to shoot his arrows without worrying about being discovered.
Even if they were discovered, the Hilichurls couldn't teleport directly to them, and the time it would take for them to catch up would be enough for them to escape.
The level of danger was within a controllable range, so the plan seemed feasible.
"However, if they are smart enough, they might still figure out our location from the direction of the arrow's tail. For safety, it's best to hide behind the trees."
Given the Hilichurls' intelligence, as long as they didn't see anyone directly, they should still be confused.
Moments later.
Nolan took out an arrow made from a Water elemental crystal, nocked it on the bowstring, and aimed at the two Mitachurls in the center of the arena below.
In Nolan's golden eyes of judgment, they were both level forty-five, no wonder they had been evenly matched.
As he released his fingers from the bowstring, the Water elemental arrow disappeared from sight.
The next second.
The arrow traversed a distance of more than a hundred meters and directly struck the eye of one of the Mitachurl.
"Roar!" The Mitachurl let out a painful howl.
It was in the middle of a fight with another Mitachurl, and the sudden attack caused it to momentarily lose its advantage.
The other Mitachurl, unaware of what had happened, thought it was winning and lifted its opponent, slamming it down.
"Boom!"
The massive impact stirred up a larger cloud of dust on the arena floor.
The Hilichurl spectators continued their enthusiastic cheers, perhaps reflecting the nature of their "Meaty Tribe": they loved meat, muscles, and passionate combat in the arena.
Seeing that the Hilichurls hadn't noticed the arrow stuck in the Mitachurl, Nolan wondered if his earlier worries had been unnecessary.
"Foolish attendant, use a Fire elemental attack now to trigger a 'Vaporize reaction'!"
Fischl prodded Nolan's waist with her pale fingers, urging him on.
"Alright."
Having initially used a Water elemental arrow with the intention of creating an elemental reaction, Nolan had already prepared a Fire elemental arrow.
After a brief aim, another Fire elemental arrow disregarded the spatial distance and appeared before the Water-imbued Mitachurl.
Then, mercilessly, it embedded itself in the same eye it had hit before.
As the flames burst forth, a faint steam rose, and the Mitachurl let out an even louder roar before collapsing on the arena floor, struggling briefly before becoming completely still.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy, Obtained 1764 Adventure EXP.]
Behind a large, lush tree in the distance, Nolan looked at the notification on the character panel and smiled.
No matter how strong one is, if their head is burned off, there's no way they can survive.
The other Mitachurl, standing victoriously in the arena, scratched its head in confusion as its opponent suddenly went still.
Aren't they usually like this when they fight? They don't just die after a few hits, do they? It wasn't until it noticed the two arrows lodged in its opponent's eyes that the truth dawned on it after a few seconds of thought.
It had been attacked!
"ROAR!" The Mitachurl roared to alert its companions.
The Hilichurls who had been watching also slowly stopped cheering. Soon, incomprehensible language started to echo in the arena. Before long, their cheers turned to anger, and they began looking around for the assailant.
"What a bunch of fools."
Fischl mocked with words, but she hid behind Nolan, to avoid being discovered.
"After all, they're not as cunning as those Abyss Mages. It's understandable that common monsters aren't very intelligent. Otherwise, Teyvat wouldn't be as peaceful as it is now."
Nolan smiled as he spoke.
In terms of strength, generally, monsters have an advantage over humans, and they are more numerous. Thankfully, their intelligence isn't high.
Otherwise, there might be something like a "Hilichurl Empire" or "Slime Dynasty" on Teyvat.
Seeing that the Hilichurls were still in the arena and hadn't come out, Nolan prepared to fire another arrow to attack them.
If a few more of them died and caused chaos, he really didn't believe these Hilichurls wouldn't be scared?!
Thinking this, Nolan aimed his bow at the Hilichurls in the corners of the arena, those who appeared less noticeable. This would delay their discovery and also allow Nolan to gain more Adventure EXP.
To deal with weaker, small-sized Hilichurls, there was no need to use the limited Water elemental arrows or the Fire elemental Delusion, which required time to recharge.
This time, he imbued his arrow with Wind elemental energy, which he controlled himself.
Though he was still a bit clumsy at infusing the arrow with elemental energy, taking slightly longer and only managing ten seconds of infusion time, it was still much better than using limited arrows.
A few seconds later, a Wind elemental arrow was born and quickly shot out by Nolan, hitting a Hilichurl in the corner holding a crossbow.
Adventure EXP +325
This arrow pierced through its head and pinned it to the wooden fence behind it.
Silently, without attracting much attention from the other Hilichurls.
"Damn it, how come you know so many things, foolish attendant!"
Fischl, squatting down with her knees covered in black stockings, showing round and shapely lines, looked at him with a hint of envy in her green eyes.
Water, Fire, Wind elemental arrows, and even space-traveling shots.
And there was her "Great Illusory Golden Eye of Judgment." Thinking of this, Fischl recalled how Nolan had tricked her last time, saying it was obtained through kissing.
Fischl touched her lips, uncertain, wondering if kissing really worked and if she should try it herself.
As she thought about it, an image popped into her mind, and her fair face unknowingly turned red.
"This is actually my talent. I can gain special abilities that match the personality of girls who truly love me, like Her Highness the Princess!"
Nolan laughed as he spoke, while shooting another Wind elemental arrow toward the arena, piercing through an ordinary Hilichurl.
Adventure EXP +298
"Idiot, who truly loves you," Fischl muttered quietly, her face slightly red. She knew she really cared about this annoying guy.
She brushed a golden strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "So, foolish attendant, does that mean you'll have other girls who truly love you in the future?"
Nolan was silent for a moment, but the movements of his hands did not stop, continuously firing arrows out, and one by one, the Hilichurls were transformed into Adventure EXP.
Adventure EXP +356
Adventure EXP +231
Adventure EXP +378
Not wanting to hide or deceive Fischl, he nodded and replied:
"Yes, if I can gain the affection of other girls, I don't think I will refuse or disappoint their expectations."
"Hmph, I knew it! You live with Lumine and go on commissions with her every day. You must have ulterior motives for her!"
Surprisingly, Fischl didn't seem too upset by Nolan's "playboy" declaration.
This was understandable.
A affection level of six is already the peak of friendship, and a level seven is essentially a more intimate lover's level.
Levels eight and nine indicate a very stable relationship, almost unshakable, unless of course, if both parties didn't express their love.
If neither party expresses their love, their relationship won't change much, with feelings hidden in their hearts.
As for level ten, it signifies an unbreakable bond. A loved one being a bit fickle is still acceptable.
Understanding this, Nolan felt a bit relieved.
It seemed that expressing his feelings after reaching maximum affection levels with others should prevent any issues.
"It can't be called ulterior motives. It's just that as we spend more time together, feelings naturally grow, just like with you."
Nolan turned around, smiling, and quickly pecked Fischl on her soft lips while she wasn't paying attention.
"Hmph."
Fischl huffed, rolling her eyes at this shameless guy who always took advantage of her!
At the "Meaty Tribe" arena, with several Hilichurls dead, they were now furiously agitated. After not finding the enemy nearby, they finally left the arena and began searching the camp.
Seeing this, Fischl quickly handed the Ice Mist Flower to Oz in the tree, directing him to use its cold aura to activate the elemental monument.
Nolan, not greedy for more Adventure EXP, saw several level fifty Hilichurls among them.
Better to play it safe and retreat; being caught would make escaping too difficult.
As Oz flew high and discreetly toward the monument, Nolan and Fischl cautiously retreated, heading back to the Forgotten Sword Cemetery.
They trusted Oz to complete the mission successfully.
After running for a long time, they finally saw the Sword Cemetery. From afar, they noticed that the final energy barrier seal had dissipated.
It seemed that Oz had indeed succeeded.
And Dr. Livingstone, with her long black hair and half-frame glasses, was already excitedly researching on various things left behind from the ancient battlefield inside the Sword Cemetery.
She hadn't even noticed their return.
"Hey, Dr. Livingstone!" Nolan called out, a bit exasperated.
"Ah!"
Hearing the shout, Livingstone finally responded, a bit embarrassed:
"Sorry, I was too excited, too absorbed, and didn't notice you.
"As an adventurer and a scholar, nothing is more thrilling than discovering research-worthy treasures!"
Nolan nodded with a smile:
"I understand. According to our commission agreement, the luxurious chest inside will be our reward!"
Underneath the two giant crossed trees at the center of the Sword Cemetery lay a genuine luxurious chest, untouched by Barbatos, just lay there quietly waiting.
(End of Chapter)
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